Japanese Art Resources 1

Understanding the social and historical background of any artwork always help to maximize your museum visits. I recently visited the Getty Villa and joined the docent-lead tours. It helped me better understand Greek art and made the visit a great experience.

Japanese Art 101: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_art
This site provides with an overall view of what Japanese art is. It is organized chronically which helps to understand art in a social and historical context. Just like contemporary art and renaissance art are different in the western world, Japanese art are very different depending on the time the artist lived.

Kojima, Nahoko

Nahoko Kojima is a Japan-born artist based in London. She is a paper cut artist who has taken paper cutting to another level... Her work looks like a sculpture. From planning to execution, it is clear that Kojima's work requires a lot of patience and master-level skills. The combination of fluidity of the finished work and the rigidness of the process is an art itself. Definitely, Nahoko Kojima is an artist to keep an eye on.

Photo: http://www.solokojima.com/paper-cut-art/


More on Nahoko Kojima and her art:
http://www.solokojima.com/profile/
http://www.nahokokojima.com/
https://www.facebook.com/solokojima

Katsushika, Hokusai

Hokusai has become a household name for Japanese art lovers outside of Japan. He was born in 1760 and died in 1849, and it has been said that Hokusai produced 30,000 artworks, changed his name 30 times, and changed residence 93 times during his life time. Besides the well known "Great Waves off Kanagawa", he depicted many other landscapes, everyday life of commoners, ghost tales, and manga.
The art scene during the Edo period (1603-1868), the time Hokusai lived, was exciting, as the purpose of art making changed: Artists started creating arts for the public and itself, not only for the patrons. Edo period which was under the governance of the Tokugawa Clan was stable. The stability and peace in the society, with no major domestic or civil wars, allowed art and the economy to flourish. Too bad that the Edo period ended with the arrival of Perry's Black ship and that Japan had to change its course.

Photos: http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki

                         
More on Hokusai Katsushika:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokusai
http://www.katsushikahokusai.org/
More on Edo period:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edo_period

Murakami, Takashi

Takashi Murakami is probably the most internationally recognized contemporary Japanese artist. His works are vivid, bubbly, and eye-catching. With a team of artists who brings Murakami's ideas into life, he merged art and business under one roof. Some criticize the mass production makes him less of an artist. However, as a matter of fact, Hokusai also had a group of artists who took place in producing the well-known prints. Each print making process involved an "expert": carving was done by a carver, and the printing was done by a printer. Like it or not like it, Murakami is certainly a successful "artrepreneur"... if there is such a word ;-)

Photo: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/04/14/buying-it


More on Takashi Murakami:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takashi_Murakami
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/04/14/buying-it
http://www.gagosian.com/artists/takashi-murakami

Kusama, Yayoi

Yayoi Kusama is one of the few Japanese female artists recognized in the States and, perhaps, is more recognized and featured in the U.S. art scene than in her native country. In contrast to many artists, I feel Kusama does not have a particular interest in exploring and cultivating art techniques nor have a message to convey. Rather, it feels like her interest in creating art is to be simply recognized for the sake of it. Despite the purpose or lack of purpose, her work is certainly unique, recognizable, and memorable.

Photo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yayoi_Kusama


More on Yayoi Kusama:
http://www.yayoi-kusama.jp/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yayoi_Kusama

Ito, Jyakuchu

Jakuchu (or Jyakuchu) Ito is a Japanese artist from the Edo period who lived from 1716 to 1800. He has been recognized internationally, but not as much as Hokusai. Jakuchu who was born as the eldest son into a merchant's family and inherited the business when he was 23 years old following his father death. Though, he showed little interest in the business and passed the business to his brother to focus on art.

Photo: http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Jakuchu seemed to have a keen interest in painting animals, particularly birds, and painted many of them. He was perhaps "nontraditional" at his time: Unlike many artists of the time, he didn't need to paint for patrons and was able to paint for his own joy and curiosity. He didn't belong to a group (sector of artist groups) later in his career and was able to explore his own style. I think his financial and artistic freedom in expression has resulted in the lively paintings.

More on Jyakuchu Ito:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%C5%8D_Jakuch%C5%AB

Konoike, Tomoko

Tomoko Konoike graduated "Geidai" or Tokyo University of Arts in 1985 and has started creating arts in 1997 after working as a merchandise design planner of toys and "zakka" (or general merchandise).

Photo: Mizuma Art Gallery

As you see in one of her works, she depicts realistic yet surrealistic images. In the west, animals are depicted as "animals" that are a creature less of a human. It is mostly depicted as an object to conquer. In Japan, animals have been depicted as representation of spirits of nature with respect. Humans are animals who lost certain senses and gained senses that is different from other animals.  Perhaps, Konoike painted this without having a concrete reason or explanation but with an intrinsic sense of what humans are and what the Japanese people have lost along the way to today.

More on Tomoko Konoike and her art:
http://mizuma-art.co.jp/artist/0100/index_e.php

Beyond Hokusai

Hokusai is perhaps the most recognized Japanese artist outside of Japan. The compositions of his works are unique and sophisticated as you see in his work such as the well-known "The Great Wave Off Kanagawa". But there are many more great arts and artists that are still un or under-recognized both in and outside of Japan. Many are inspirational in a sense that they make you rethink of how you think and feel of a particular object or value. I hope to share them with you and hope that you will enjoy. Click the archive on the left to check out more Japanese artists & arts :-)

Photo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa


More on Hokusai Katsushika:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokusai
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa